The Briefing

Welcome to On Topic with the Weekend Briefing, a special series where Jamila Rizvi talks to some of her favourite guests - old and new - about a single, fascinating subject. Over the next two months, you’ll hear from singers, writers, models, actors and change makers on topics as diverse as power and influence, mindset and money, bodies and brains.  Today you’ll hear from Elly Desmarchelier, on ac...

Qantas has thrown its weight behind the Yes campaign for an Indigenous Voice to parliament. We saw it with marriage equality, Black Lives Matter and now The Voice. Antionette Latouff sits down with creative director and a Labor strategist Dee Madigan to discuss how corporates play in politics.   Headlines: Hillsong Founder cleared of cover up Australia to bid for men's Soccer world cup 2034 Michae...

The Matildas have missed out on the World Cup final. We speak with Johnny Keko who’s been on the ground about all the twists and turns of the tournament so far, the emotions at the game last night and what we can expect for Saturday’s play off for 3rd.    Headlines: Thousands storm barricades at Federation Square Swimming Australia threatened with expulsion Found surfers release video   Follow The...

Matildas v France World Cup match on Saturday night was watched live by 4.17 million Australian TV viewers. Eclipsing NRL and State of Origin finals, it was a watershed moment for women’s sports in Australia. So what does this mean for the future of women's sport? Tom Tilley sits down with economist Tim Harcourt to find out.   Headlines: Matildas to play England in the world cup semi-final Donald...

Journalist, Amelia Oberhardt, thought she knew her mum, until she died. At her mum’s wake, Oberhardt discovered a photo of her mother as a teenager, wearing a wedding ring, standing beside a man she didn't know and cuddling an unknown baby. In this episode of the Briefing, Katrina sits down with Amelia to discover how she felt when she discovered her family and her family’s story was not what she...

Sharpen your spears ladies! Research has debunked the hunter-gatherer theory finding a high number of our female ancestors used to hunt too. A group of anthropologists from Washington and Seattle Pacific universities analysed 63 modern hunter-gatherer societies, including 14 in Australia and found women hunted in nearly 80 per cent of them. This includes hunting for big game - and they left the ki...

Welcome to On Topic with the Weekend Briefing, a special series where Jamila Rizvi talks to some of her favourite guests - old and new - about a single, fascinating subject. Over the next two months, you’ll hear from singers, writers, models, actors and change makers on topics as diverse as power and influence, mindset and money, bodies and brains.  Today you’ll hear from Kemi Nekvapil, on power....

Australia has been gripped by a story out of Victoria where three people died after eating a meal of wild mushrooms. Police investigations are continuing. One man remains in a critical condition in hospital. So, how prevalent are deadly mushrooms? What should we look out for? What happens when you're poisoned? And how often are people hospitalised after consuming mushrooms. In this episode of The...

July 2023 was Earth's hottest month on record - almost all of Australia was 2-6°C above average temperatures. Australia has battled with bushfire seasons since 1970, with more than 2,000 homes having been destroyed in three of it’s biggest fire seasons, 1982-1983, 2008-2009 and 2019-2020. In this episode of the Briefing, we're joined by Greg Mullins, former Commissioner of Fire and Rescue New Sout...

Forty-five paediatricians have signed a letter warning the government about the risks of fracking to child and infant health. On Tuesday morning health professionals in support of the letter protested outside APH in Canberra. The letter states research that links fracking to birth defects, low birth weight, cancer and respiratory conditions. Paediatrician Louise Woodward who drafted the letter joi...

 As the Matilda’s progress to the quarter finals, we take a deep dive on the history of women’s football with Moya Dodd, a former Australian player who rose up to the FIFA Executive.    Headlines: Matildas through to the quarterfinals  Deadly wild mushroom investigation Russell Island fire update Meteor in Victoria overnight    Follow The Briefing: Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast   Facebook: TheBri...

States are throwing millions of dollars to reign in outlaw motorcycle gangs – why are they on the rise? We're told regularly that bikie gangs rule the drug trade - and there were reports last month some of the recent Sydney gangland murders were linked - allegedly - to the gangs warring over the supply of illicit drugs. Given we've spent millions on operations like Raptor in NSW, Viper in Victoria...

Welcome to On Topic with the Weekend Briefing, a special series where Jamila Rizvi talks to some of her favourite guests - old and new - about a single fascinating subject. Over the next two months, you’ll hear from singers, writers, models, actors and change makers on topics as diverse as power and influence, mindset and money, bodies and brains.  Up first? Is Em Rusciano! She has co-hosted break...

Do you know how many guns are in your community? There are more than 4.3 million guns scattered across Australia. With a population of almost 26 million, that's a gun for every six people. In this episode of The Briefing, we're joined by LiSTNR investigative journalist Clair Weaver to find out where the guns are, who has them, and what the authorities are doing to address the explosion in gun crim...

Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 Capitol riots. It’s Donald’s third indictment in four months – but this time Special Counsel Jack Smith is pushing for a speedy trial, with Trump facing a string of criminal charges. In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Associate Professor David Smith,...

Two of Australia’s biggest billionaire power couples are breaking up, the Forrests and the Cannon-Brookes. That follows the Gates, the Bezos, Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch. In today's episode of The Briefing, we explore the pain of mega-rich matrimony with one of New York’s leading divorce lawyers, Dror Bikel. Given that money is a key stress on normal relationships, why do billionaire couples stru...

It’s becoming much easier to access the abortion pill MS-2 Step (RU486 overseas.) All doctors and some senior nurses will be able to prescribe it, and from today, all pharmacies will be able to stock it. But gynaecologists and obstetricians are sounding the alarm, saying there isn’t enough infrastructure in place to expand access this much. In this episode of the Briefing, we speak with Dr Gino Pe...

There’s a new tourism boom. It’s all about cosmetic surgery, dentistry – both remedial and cosmetic – and hair transplants. Aussies are flying to Turkey, to undergo procedures too costly here in Australia. In this episode of the Briefing, we meet Michael, one of thousands of Australians who’ve been to Turkey for a hair transplant; and Dr Nicola Dean, the president of Australian Society of Plastic...

In the early days of their careers, Kate McClennan and Kate McCartney never got booked for the same TV shows. At the time, women were few and far between in comedy sketches - and executives never imagined they’d need more than one woman. Let alone more than one Kate. Once they finally met in person, the two became close friends and writing partners. They went on to create the Katering Show followe...

The US Congress has held hearings this week to try to determine, once and for all, what the US Department of Defence knows about UFOs or UAPs, unidentified aerial phenomena. What’s called the House Oversight Committee is calling witnesses who claim the US government – particularly the Pentagon – knows more than it’s letting on. In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Nick Pope, who used t...

There have been a string of dingo attacks on K’gari off the coast of south east Queensland in the last month. In one attack, a 10-year-old boy was dragged into a dam. In the two latest attacks, women were chased into the surf after being confronted on the beach. All three victims suffered wounds as the pack of dingos struck. In this episode of the Briefing, we’re joined by Dr Bradley Smith, a worl...

Laws passed in Israel overnight allow the Netanyahu government to overhaul the judiciary and prevents the Israeli Supreme Court from vetoing decisions on the grounds of being “unreasonable”. Hundreds of thousands of protestors have marched on the capital Jerusalem, protesting the government’s tactics, suggesting the new legislation will threaten democracy in Israel. In this episode of the Briefing...

Hollywood has ground to a halt after the the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists – the biggest union representing actors and production staff decided to join writers in going on strike for better pay and conditions. It’s the first time in 60 years both groups have gone on strike at the same time – and it means production on television, streaming and movies has...

Ground-breaking Australian research reveals why there is so much distain for road cyclists. Drivers see cyclists in lycra as less than fully human. Tom Tilley, a self confessed Mamil (middle aged male in lycra) has travelled the country speaking to cyclists, researchers and drivers in the hope of making our roads safer. Tom's report aired on Seven's Spotlight program last night. In this episode of...

Jeremy Franco is everyone's fave TikTok and Instagram star. He exploded during Covid and is now one of the most popular Australian creatives on social media. Jeremy and Jamila share a similar childhood and their combined memories are a pure delight. In this episode of The Weekend Briefing, Jamila is joined by Jeremy Franco.....wait until you hear about the 'lemon people'.   Follow The Briefing: In...